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Chapter 103: Decisions, decisions
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2022-11-24 14:32:55Related chapters
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 104: Unexpected visitor
DEACONI'd grown up in the country and was accustomed to the noises of the farm. Bugs chirping, crickets singing, frogs croaking, the groan of tree branches in the wind-I was used to all of those sounds. When I went away to college and then med school and then my residency in Gainesville, I'd learned to live with the city's soundtrack: honking cars, the air brakes on buses, and people shouting in the street. Living in the town of Harper Springs was some kind of happy medium, I decided as I sat in the dark of my living room, shaking the glass in my hand to hear the ice clink. I had the bugs and crickets from the farm along with the distant noise of cars and the occasional siren. Tonight, even though my windows were shut and the air conditioning was humming, I could hear the sound of a baseball game. My next-door neighbor was an older gentleman who liked to sit on his front porch and listen to the games on his ancient radio. Since he was more than slightly hard of hearing, he had that
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 105: One more for my baby
DEACONI rose to my feet abruptly. "I need another drink." Emma drained her glass and rattled the ice. "I wouldn't say no to a refill, either." I was about to turn back to retrieve her empty glass, but she'd gotten to her feet, too, and was following me across the room. I could feel the heat radiating from her body as I poured our drinks. As much as I tried to ignore her effect on me, she was slowly and steadily destroying my paltry defenses. "Do you want anything to eat?" I almost babbled the question, just out of the need to say something that didn't sound sexual. And yet, even that . . . Emma stood next to me, her gaze dipping down to below my waist before she raised her eyes to me. The molten softness of her lips was nearly my undoing. Slowly, she shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm okay." We both returned to our seats, keeping our distance as if by taciturn agreement. Once Emma was curled in the corner of the sofa again, her drink in her hand, she cleared her throat. "
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 106: I'm not leaving
DEACONI framed her face with one hand. "I'm not going to leave you." Her eyelids lowered, and her tongue slipped out to swipe over her lips. "Again." "I'm staying here. With you. For you, Emma. I'm not going to run away again, babe." She lifted her face. "Now tell me again . . . but don't use words this time." I didn't have to be asked twice. Reaching down, I lifted Emma up to my lap, angling her head so that it rested in the crook of my elbow. With my fingers on her chin, I coaxed her to tip her mouth to me. The last time I'd kissed Emma had been the night we'd celebrated the publication of her study about ventilators and acupuncture. We'd had champagne, and I'd been giddy enough to breach the walls she'd kept up since I'd returned from Slovenia. But that night, Noah had still been in the picture. Oh, they hadn't been dating yet, but I'd known the direction he was heading. That kiss had been stolen, a moment of time that couldn't go anywhere. But tonight, everything was
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 107: Good morning, sunshine
EMMAMy first conscious thought the next morning was that my air conditioner wasn't working. For one head-spinning moment, I panicked, thinking I was back at the trailer, and everything that had happened in the last eighteen months-my cabin, Noah, Deacon-was all a dream. But after I blinked my eyes open, I realized that the air wasn't warm or muggy the way it was when I was in a building that didn't have a/c. No, it was just that there was something next to me that was emitting a crazy amount of heat. When that something moved slightly and sighed, I remembered. Oh. My. God. I shifted my legs and winced a little. I was slightly sore; Deacon and I hadn't exactly taken it easy on each other last night. Or early this morning, for that matter. We'd more than made up for the year or so we'd been apart. The whole thing had been . . . different. Oh, there was a wonderful familiarity, that easiness of being with a man who'd been a lover before. I'd fallen back into the rhythm easily,
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 108: Busted
EMMA"Hey!" I tried for a casual, carefree smile. "What're you doing here? Did we have plans that I forgot about?" He chuckled and met me halfway, leaning down to kiss my cheek and then sweep me into a hug. "No, this was a random drop-in. I have to be at the hospital later today, so I thought I'd drive over early and see if I could take you to breakfast on the way in." He slid me a sideways glance as we walked up the porch steps together. "Imagine my surprise when you weren't here at seven in the morning." "Oh?" I didn't owe Noah any explanation, I scolded myself silently. We weren't dating, and I was a free woman. It wasn't any of his business-except that he was Noah, my friend, the one in whom I'd confided almost everything for a long time. It felt weird not to tell him. But maybe it would be weirder to tell him. Or maybe I'd just-"I called the hospital to see if you'd gone in early, but they told me you weren't supposed to be there until this afternoon." "Yeah, I worked lat
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 109: Busted, part 2
DEACONWhen I walked into the hospital about an hour after Emma left my house that morning, I definitely was feeling lighter than I had all week. The problems I'd left here the day before hadn't gone away-at least, I assumed that Ted was still in his room, trying to terrorize my staff-but I had a better outlook on everything in my world.Amazing what getting laid can do for a man.It wasn't just the sex, though thank you sweet Jesus for that because it had been incredible. No, I decided, it was mostly the reconnection with Emma, talking with her and feeling as if we'd finally managed to bridge that break that I'd created when I'd taken off for Slovenia. Suddenly, the future held more possibilities than it had for over a year. I'd just gotten to my office and shrugged off my suit jacket when Mira knocked at the open door. "Good morning, Deacon." Our head nurse was holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hand as she lingered in the doorway. "Hey, there, Mira!" I grinned at her.
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 110: Family reunion
DEACONAfter my conversation with Noah, I was both eager and apprehensive about seeing Emma. I wondered if she would pretend last night hadn't happened, if she was having regrets, or if she'd be embarrassed or . . . whatever. Women were so damn unpredictable. I wasn't sure what to expect. As it worked out, though, our paths didn't cross until later in the afternoon. We had a minor issue with a patient reacting to new meds, and that kept me busy for a couple of hours. And then Gram and Pop showed up to see Ted. I ushered them into his room, already braced for whatever vitriol he might spew at them. Gram was clutching her handbag tight, the only indication of her own tension, and Pop's jaw was hard. "Ted." I stepped into the room ahead of my grandparents. "My-uh, your parents are here to see you. Is it all right if they come in?" I hated giving him the option to turn them away, but Emma had taught me well, and I knew that giving someone a choice was always preferable whenever poss
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Diagnosis: Love Chapter 111: Probably
EMMABy the time the sun went down that evening, tests had confirmed that Ted Girard was fighting off a massive infection. It had happened fast, but that wasn't unusual, not in someone whose cancer was as advanced as Ted's was. "All we can do now is treat what we can and keep him comfortable." Deacon stood next to his father's bedside, staring down at the slight figure. Ted had been non-responsive since his seizure, but the CT hadn't shown any visible brain damage. "What do you think?" I glanced up at Deacon's face as we moved into the hall. "What are his chances?" Deacon shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not great. But Ted's an enigma. If I expect him to die tonight, he'd probably pull through just to prove me wrong." He sighed and shook his head. "Will you think I'm a horrible person if I say I'm really disappointed that I'll have to take a raincheck on tonight? Ted's got crap timing. Always has." I laughed softly. "No. You're allowed to have mixed feelings about this man, D
Last Updated : 2022-11-24
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Diagnosis: Love Chapter 193: As long as we both shall live
NOAHNoahIt was a beautiful day for a wedding. We gathered at mid-morning under the covenant oak on Jimmy and Anna Girard's farm. Alison and I had decided that since Emma and Deacon's wedding had been the start of our love story, we should say our vows under the canopied branches of that same steadfast tree. We hadn't wanted anything grand or involved, but it was important to us that the special people in our lives were present. So when Alison and I joined hands and made our vows, among those surrounding us were Emma and Deacon, Darcy and Jackson, Jenny and Nico, Mira Hoskins, and all of the people who worked with Alison in her practice. Maggie Corning, the midwife, and Brooke Slater, Alison's therapist, were there, too. My family had flown down en mass from Wisconsin and other key points around the country. My mother couldn't stop smiling, and my dad looked proud. Even my brothers and sisters and their families were behaving themselves. And then of course, there was the Tam
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 192: Happily Ever After part 3
ALISONA human being can accomplish almost any task while sobbing her eyes out. I'd known this from experience in my past life, but after Noah left that afternoon, I went about proving it all over again.I cried as I wiped the table and counters. I wept as I took out a frozen macaroni and cheese to eat for dinner. I sobbed as I climbed the steps and listened at the baby's door-she was still asleep in the crib. I sniffled as I switched a load of newborn clothes from the washer to the dryer.He was gone, and I was alone. Again. Naturally.The hell of it was that even as he'd pleaded his case to me, even as he'd told me that he loved me, I'd known he was telling the truth. I believed him. But I couldn't trust what he thought he felt, not when people changed their minds about being in love all the damn time. People claimed to love a friend or a child or a lover, and then they changed their minds. It happened. I knew it first-hand. I'd experienced it over and over again before I was t
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 191: Break
NOAH"Where's the baby?" Alison walked into the kitchen, her face etched with fatigue. We'd had a long and trying few days as Evangeline had apparently been going through a growth spurt: she nursed almost constantly and was difficult to console the rest of the time. She'd fought sleep, and she'd cried piteously no matter what we'd tried to do. The pediatrician had assured us that this was normal and we'd get through it, but privately, I thought he was a heartless imbecile who clearly didn't understand that our daughter was advanced and needed more attention than the typical newborn. But finally, today we'd caught a break. Alison had gone upstairs to take a shower-her first in three days-and somehow, I'd managed to get the baby to sleep without the benefit of a boob. More than that, I'd actually laid her in the crib without waking her up. I was pretty satisfied with myself, all in all. I was also crossing my fingers that she'd stay asleep long enough that her mother and I could d
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 190: Parenthood
NOAHParenthood was amazing, fulfilling, beautiful, awesome . . . and exhausting. The first few weeks of baby Evangeline's life at home were a blur, a constant, never-ending whirlwind of feeding, and changing, and washing, and catching whatever small bites of sleep we could whenever she slept. People came to visit and brought gifts and food, and I was pathetically grateful for that, because I didn't have the energy to cook, and both Alison and I were tired of takeout. The one factor that made everything survivable was the baby herself. God, I hadn't known how much I was going to love this ten-pounds of tiny, perfect human. I'd never anticipated that staring at her sleep for an hour was better than four quarters of football. Or that catching what might have been a smile could make me feel as though I'd just witnessed greatness. What was some missing sleep compared with noting how well my two-week-old daughter could lift up her head?Even so, as much as I was ga-ga over my baby gir
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 189: New life
ALISON"Congratulations, mama! You're at six. I think it's time to break your water and get things really going." It sounded like a great idea to me, but I saw Noah's lips go white. "Are you okay?" I asked, rubbing my fingers over the back of his hand. "You look a little green." He swallowed, his throat convulsing. "This is the only part I'm a little, uh, squeamish about. I watched that birth online, and breaking the water looked-intense." Maggie chuckled. "Stay up there by Alison and keep your eyes on her face. We don't need papa hitting the floor and suing the hospital." Noah did as he was told, watching me intently as if waiting for me to show some sign of distress. "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly. "The water part, I mean." I shook my head. "It feels a little weird, but not-oooooh!" I gasped as I felt the gush hit my inner thighs. "Okay, then. Eyes here, Noah. Come on. We're in this together." After that, it felt as though everything got a lot more serious. The con
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 188: Giving in
ALISON Spoiler alert: having sex with Noah did not start my labor.But it sure was worth the effort. Two days after that monumental night-and after we'd given it the good old college try several more times-we went to Maggie's office. I was in a rotten mood-being a million years pregnant can do that to a person-and poor Noah looked a little haggard. He'd been sleeping with me in my bed (we both clung to the excuse that if I went into labor, I'd want him closer than across the hall), which meant that he woke up whenever I had to climb out of that bed to pee. He thought I'd been exaggerating about how often I had to go. He was quickly disabused of that notion. After a quick exam, Maggie made some notes on her tablet and then turned to the both of us. "So listen," she began. "Do you want to have this baby?" I stared at her as though she'd lost her mind. "What the hell do you think I've been trying to do for over three weeks now, Maggie?" I bellowed. "Of course, I want to have th
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 187: Finally, at last
NOAHNow I got it. The night we'd first had sex-the night after Emma and Deacon's wedding-we'd challenged each other to come up with the sexiest, most outrageous names for cocktails. Alison was playing the game again."Ohhhhh." I grinned. "I still don't believe that last one is legit.""It totally is. The bartender confirmed it." With a smile that was deceptively seductive for an extremely pregnant woman, she reached down to grasp the bottom of her oversized T-shirt-which was not so oversized just now-and lifted it over her head. I helped just to make sure she didn't topple over in the process. It was the first time I'd really seen her without a shirt in many months. My first few impressions were awe at the size of her swollen middle. I knew she was huge, but damn. The skin was stretched as tight as a drum, and her belly button looked like a cork just about to give way. And her boobs-they were incredible. Within the utilitarian maternity bra, they were still the sexiest breasts
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 186: Things you shouldn't ask
NOAH"What's the world record for the longest pregnancy ever?" I glanced up at Alison from the book I was reading. We were both lying on her bed while a movie that neither of us was very invested in played on the TV. The couch downstairs had become too uncomfortable for her over the past week or so, so we'd begun hanging out here in her room. It was strictly for comfort, though; we stayed on top of the covers, with Alison on one side while I stuck to the other. It was a king-sized bed with plenty of room for us. But while we hadn't hesitated to cuddle and kiss on the sofa, something about being on the bed made us more cautious. I didn't know why, exactly; Alison was so tired of being pregnant that she wasn't up for much of anything other than television lately. She'd stopped going into the office after her due date since she'd already arranged with Dr. Johanson to cover her hours. So we were both at home now all the time . . . just waiting.She really was huge. While the ultraso
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 185: Trust love
ALISON"Read me that last part again?" Noah and I were sitting in the nursery, surrounded by boxes, gift bags, and about a million pieces of a pine crib. He had spent the last two weeks focusing on the nursery. He'd painted the room a lovely pale yellow color, insisting that I stay with Emma and Deacon at the cabin for the two nights after he'd completed the first and second coats so that I didn't have to inhale the paint fumes. Together, we had selected the crib and the dressing table. Noah's mother had sent us the cradle that all of her children had slept in, and that was already set up in my bedroom.Now, with my due date less than ten days away, we were finally tackling the project of building all of the furniture that hadn't come pre-assembled. I squinted at the paper in my hand, trying to decipher the words."I'm pretty sure that this was translated directly from Swedish by someone who didn't speak English," I commented. "It doesn't seem to make sense.""Does it say at wh
